Daughter of Angels
by Phoenix Lightwing
Summary: Can love really trump destiny? For Nyxus Moon, it doesn't seem likely. Trapped in a world she forgot existed, can she remember her promise in time to save Percy and her friends, or will she be too late?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Nine gods of Olympus paced the hall of the mighty Zeus, anxiety rolling off them in waves. A lithe figure, blonde and draped in silver, dropped from a beam, her bow glinting dully in the dusky light.

"Father," she intoned, "are you sure this is wise? If this should fail and the child die before her time, all hope shall be lost in the battle to come." Artemis narrowed her sky-gray eyes in irritation, half wishing to prick him with his own lightning.

"Father!" With a snort, the great form shifted in the throne. A man, imposingly tall with hair white as a cloud and eyes the color of a winter's day, chuckled darkly at her impudence.

"Patience, Huntress. I have lived for countless millennia, and in that time, never before have you dared contradict my bidding. Why now this sudden change in demeanor?"

"Never before have our children faced a foe such as Gaea. She is old as time itself and bound to the very earth beneath their feet." Artemis paused, the half-smile on her face belied by the sharpness of her tone. "And never before have you concocted a plan half as ludicrous as this one! Creating a mortal shell within which you wish to encapsulate the very essence of our power, is at best, lethal!"

"Artemis, perhaps you should hold your tongue."

"No brother! You will permit me to speak my mind!" Apollo glanced warily between his twin and father, all too aware of the consequences should Zeus's temper flare. A shadow darted from column to column, and he smiled. _That child is far cleverer than her family realizes._

"Take care in how you speak, daughter. My patience wears thin."

Artemis snorted. "Do not threaten me, Zeus; I am no longer a child, frightened into silence with one look from your stormy countenance." _Apollo, do they not realize that it is my choice to leave? Why does she not believe in my abilities?_

_ I know not the reason, little one. However I do know that if this does not stop soon, your mother may soon cease to exist._

_ How often has Father threatened to destroy her now? A million times since I was born? He loves her too much to actually follow through with his threat, of this I am certain._

Apollo snickered. _I fear you give Zeus far too much credit in the self-discipline department._

"Peace, Artemis!" The command reverberated around them, ominous as thunder.

"No! I will not be 'at peace'! You wish to send the young ones to their death with naught but a human shell and a son of the sea to guide them! It is suicidal!"

"Do you forget, niece, that it was my son who saved us all when _your _sister's daughter failed to accept what was right in front of her?" Athena bristled angrily, her grey eyes flashing.

"Kronos was far more cunning than she was prepared for, Poseidon, she was a young girl."

"Yes, a young girl infatuated with the vessel carrying the Titan Kronos within him! I would not underestimate my son, or our enemy, if I were you." The great hall erupted into a cacophony of angry, shrieking voices, one rising above the din; clear as bell, yet hard as crystal.

"Enough, all of you!" Another figure stepped from the shadows. _About time you stepped in._

_ Hush, Apollo. _Nyxus Moon glared at the gathering. "You all should be ashamed of yourselves, fighting over my fate like children over a toy! Do I not get a say in what I do or don't do?" She turned to Artemis, a sad glimmer of fear in her shining violet eyes. "Mother, I understand your fear far better than you think. You care for your half-blood children, and believe that all will fail if I do not remember." She grasped Artemis's hands in her own slim unlined ones. "But you must have faith in me. I will remember, I give you my word." Turning, she faced the shimmering portal, a small, shabby apartment awaiting her on the other side.

"Be safe, daughter. May Fortuna smile on your quest, and the blessing of your family go with you wherever you roam. Good luck." With a final kiss from Artemis on her forehead, Nyxus Moon's eyes turned glassy, and she fell sideways through the gateway.

"I still don't trust her."

"I have had quite enough of your insolence for one lifetime, daughter. Begone!" With one final cry of frustration, Artemis vanished in a shard of moonlight. The god's shoulders slumped, exhaustion showing plainly in his eyes.

"Leave me now, all of you. I shall keep watch over her tonight."

"Fare thee well, Zeus." When the hall was emptied, Poseidon strolled over to where his brother stood, stony-faced, by the portal and gazed with him upon a young girl of sixteen, hair the color of amber and eyes the color of the restless sea.

"Zeus, if she truly is of as volatile nature of the skies, only pray my son has the fortitude to tame not only her spirit, but her heart. For all our sakes."

"As do I, brother. As do I."


	2. Nyx

_**Nyx**_

_Blood. There was blood everywhere. I moved sluggishly through deep purple mist, lightning flashing, sun and moon dancing in chaotic harmony in the pitch-black sky above. I stood on a cliff, overlooking the raging sea, waves crashing against the rocky shore._

_ "Remember." A voice echoed through the silence._

_ "Remember what?" I screamed, terrified of what lay just beyond my sight._

_ "Remember your promise to me." I paused. _That was weird_, I thought. _The voice has never answered me before.

_ "Nyx," another voice echoed._

"Nyx, wake up, kid, we gotta go!" Panting, I shot up in my bed, only to fall off in an unceremonious heap of sweaty sheets and flailing legs.

"Slick," Jo snickered, rolling off her bunk and landing with a gentle thud on the floor.

"Shut up, brat." I snarled, grabbing towel and soap as I trudged to the bathroom.

"Well aren't you just little miss sunshine today." I ignored her. The apartment, a small, shabby little thing on the corner of 43rd and Broadway, had two bedrooms, a kitchenette, and shared a bathroom with the rest of our floor. Not pretty, but when you're sixteen years old and adopted, there really isn't anything you can do.

"Nyxus Moon, you best be gettin' your fanny out here 'fore I come bustin' through this door, girl! You gon' be late!" I sighed. It just had to be Sheridan Brown this morning. I stared into the cracked mirror. _Same pale skin, same dull blue eyes, and lifeless hair pulled into a ponytail. Does anything ever change?_

_Be careful what you wish for. . ._

I jerked back from the mirror, hitting my head on the overhead light. "Jesus H. Christ!"

"Now, girl!" I lost it.

"Fine! Christ, can't a girl get five minutes?" I stalked towards the door, still rubbing my head. "It's my. . ." I opened the door to the woman's scowling face. "Never mind," I growled, pushing past her, ramming through the front door and racing into the crowded streets, running for Miss Felicity's School for the Gifted. A few minutes later, the school,

_ Prison's more like it._

_Shut up, strange voice in my head. My life is hard enough without having a sudden attack of schizophrenic voices._

_ You have to admit, I'm right, Nyx._

_ Shut up. _The school, a great hulking mass of brick and stone, loomed ominously behind a massive wrought iron gate. Tucking my chin, I maneuvered into the crowd, effortlessly disappearing, as usual.

_Incoming._

"I said Shut Up!" The entire courtyard fell silent. Blushing wildly, I avoided the gazes of everyone around me and sped toward the doors.

"Nyx!" A petite blonde ball of energy slammed into my left side, just about knocking me off my feet. I looked down, bemused, into the face of my best, and only, friend, Sophia Grace. Five foot two, blonde with chocolate brown eyes, and she was lucky if she weighed one-hundred and five pounds soaking wet. Needless to say, put her next to five foot nine, one-hundred forty-five pound me, and she looks like a china doll brought to life. But she's tough as nails, underneath that fairy princess exterior.

"Hey, Soph. What's got you all a dither this morning?"

"What's with ye Olde English, Nyx? And have you really forgotten?" I groaned.

"Sophie, you promised you wouldn't."

"And I didn't! But," she snickered, eyes glinting devilishly at me as we walked down the corridor, "I am taking you shopping after school. I mean for God's sake, Nyx, you're a gorgeous seventeen year old who dresses like that creepy old cat lady in 2B. Besides, I know, and you know you've been dying for some wardrobe intervention." I sighed. _Such is the curse of having a best friend who can read your mind. _

_ Really, now?_

_ Dammit, I thought I got rid of you!_

_ Nope. _The voice sounded positively gleeful. _You're stuck with me. At least until you remember._

_ Remember what, exactly?_

_ I can't tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself. _

_ Well gee, thanks for the help, Mister Voice._

_ No need to be sarcastic._

_ Whatever. _I opened my mouth to respond to Sophia just as the bell rang.

"Shit!" she cried, racing down the hallway. I laughed, then plopped down in my seat a split second before Miss Felicity Brown in all her white-haired glory came strolling in.

"Good morning, class." Her voice was a low thrum. Her dirt brown eyes found mine.

"And a very good morning to you, Miss Moon. My, aren't we looking especially frumpy this morning." I smirked.

"Only the very best for you, Miss. You know me, always putting my best foot forward."

Her eyes narrowed, and a cold chill ran down my spine. Smiling evilly, she spoke again, each word like a dagger plunged in my back.

"Miss Moon, I trust you remember your lesson from last week, yes?"

"Of course, how in the hell could I forget that particular piece of torture you called 'learning'?"

"Well I would hate for your, ah, birthday, I believe it was?" Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, your birthday, to interfere with your grades. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, ma'am."

_Hmm, you actually backed down. You really need to remember, that was absolutely pathetic. _I growled under my breath, almost snapping my pencil in half.

_Can't you just leave me be for an hour? Please? What was I supposed to do?_

_ I don't know, zap her with lightning like you did that other chick? _I froze.

_How do you know about that?_

_ Because you know about it, I suppose. I am just a voice in your head after all. _I snorted.

_Even my head isn't this mouthy. And last I checked, I'm not a guy. So how do you explain that, smart-aleck? _No answer. _Great, now he picks this time to be quiet. Joy. _The bell finally rang to leave class and I bolted. The cold feeling lasted all day, class to class as though I was being watched by unseen eyes. Five minutes before school let out for the week, my relatively peaceful mood was interrupted as the speaker overhead crackled into life.

"Nyxus Moon, please report to the main office, the headmistress wishes to see you." All voices in the hallway were snuffed out. Everyone turned, almost in perfect unison, to stare at me.

"What are you looking at? Show's over folks, now beat it!" I brushed past Sophia, flashing a warning glance in her direction. _No sense getting her involved too._

_ I thought chivalry was dead. And for boys._

_ Well, nice of you to show up again, Snarky._

_ You know you missed me. Now, I have something to tell you and I need you to trust me. _

_ Me? Trust a voice in my head? _I sighed. _I guess I really don't have a choice, do I?_

_ Nope. An offer will be made. I suggest you accept it. For your sake. _Snarky was gone

_Are you kidding me! You're just going to up and leave me with nary a by-your-leave to face some stranger's request? Do I even get to know what it is I'm agreeing to?_

_ You're smart, you'll figure it out eventually, now get in there! _

Letting my hair out of its clip to tumble around my shoulders, I took a deep breath, and knocked twice.

"Enter." Miss Brown's voice echoed through the oak door in front of me. _Here goes nothing._ I opened the door. The room, normally empty except for Miss Brown herself, today contained another; a tall man with dark hair, dressed in a deep blue suit that emphasized broad shoulders and long legs and practically screamed money at you. I cleared my throat once, waiting for him to turn around. No reaction. I glared at his back. _Gee, Snarky, ya could've mentioned that I was going to have to deal with an arrogant, self-satisfied prick today, not just the terror that is my headmistress._ I sighed, and turned my gaze to the woman behind the desk.

"You wished to see me, ma'am?"

"Yes, Miss Moon, do come in and shut the door, would you?" I strode forward to stand next to the figure, who still hadn't given any indication that he knew I existed. Miss Brown stared up at us, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't describe, then she blinked, and it was gone.

"Perseus Jackson, may I introduce Nyxus Moon, a fifth former at our school, and the subject of the, ah, problem, I spoke to you about over the phone." He turned, and I only had time to catch a glimpse of tan skin and a white smile before I was pinned by the most stunning pair of green eyes I have ever seen. They were the color of the sea, a beautiful light green shot through with streaks of blue and gold. I was vaguely aware that the headmistress was speaking again, but it seemed as though all we could focus on—yes, we, he seemed to be mesmerized too—was each other.

"Miss Moon, Mr. Jackson!" Her shout broke through our dreamy haze. Blinking, I shook my head and turned back to the bane of my existence, highly aware of the fact that he was still staring at me, and much, much closer than before. Miss Brown sniffed haughtily, her eyes narrowing slightly. "As I was saying, Mr. Jackson is a student representative from an organization known as C.H.B."

"C.H.B? What does that even mean?" I turned to look at him. "Care to enlighten me, O Secretive One?" He grinned, turning to face me fully and I gulped. _This guy is huge!_ Whoever he was, he towered over me. A prickle ran down my spine, and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I wasn't in the office. I was standing in an anteroom, surrounded by columns, when suddenly the quiet was broken by multiple shouts from a group of twelve adults, wearing, of all things, togas!

"_She is too young! You are sending the half-bloods to their death, Zeus!" A woman in silver was shouting at the man in the throne. The golden man was grinning. _

"_Enough, all of you!" _Holy crap, _I thought_, that's . . . me! Then that must be . . . Olympus! Am I an Olympian?


End file.
